This invention relates to a rod tip light for a fishing rod, and is more particularly concerned with a simple, lightweight, and unobtrusive light unit which provides a visible indication of the rod tip position in darkness, but does not interfere with the action of the fishing rod.
When fishing at night, the fisherman has to keep the tip of the rod in view to detect whether a fish is taking the bait. The usual approach is to keep a lantern nearby; however, this can soon attract mosquitos and other biting insects, so a preferred approach is to illuminate the rod tip with low-level light. Several proposals to this end have been presented previously.
Welstead U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,321 describes a night signalling device where a battery housing mounted on the rod contains a battery, a lamp, and a gravity-actuated switch. Ochs U.S. Pat. No. 4,026,089, Fore U.S. Pat. No. 3,017,499, Utsler U.S. Pat. No. 4,117,618, and Mills U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,375 have tip or rod light systems where the lamp and wiring are contained within the rod, so the rod and handle must be specially constructed. Powell U.S. Pat. No. 4,823,496 describes a luminous clip that fits over the rod tip guide. This is not electrically powered. Van Leeuwen U.S. Pat. No. 3,740,887 describes a light unit that contains bulb and battery and replaces the original tip guide of a fishing rod.
None of these provides a simple, reliable and inexpensive device which can attach easily to an existing fishing rod without modification of the rod. Those that are self-contained are bulky devices that may also upset the balance and handling of the fishing rod.